Page 60 of Late Fees

“Loverboy?” I asked him, “No, you di-int.”

Sully laughed, then a satisfied smile crossed his face. “I’m glad we hired you, Weezer.”

“Good. Now, will you consider changing my nickname?”

“I guess I could take requests. No guarantees, though.”

“Yo,” Dutch said, opening up a box of Sour Patch Kids.

“That’s coming out of your paycheck if you don’t put money in the till right this second.”

“Chill, chill,” Dutch said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a dollar. “I brought bucks, bro. No worries.”

With an icy stare, Sully nodded and went back to scanning videos. Dutch popped a few candies in his mouth and then tilted the box toward me. “Sour Patch?”

“Sure, thanks,” I said, knowing the sharp citrus flavor would make my nervous dry mouth a thing of the past.

“I’ll help you with your shelf if you want,” Dutch said. “I’ve got nothing else to do.”

“You could clean the bathrooms,” Sully said, irritation in his words.

“Nah, I’m good. Let’s go get you some movies, Weezer.”

“Ugh, not you, too.”

“Hey, I like Weezer. They’ve got some good songs.”

“I know, I know,” I said, shaking my head as we walked to the corner of the store where all the employees had made their picks. When I stopped at Kevin’s shelf, my heart tugged beneath my chest.

Kevin and I had been out a few times, and things were casual, but I suspected that the slight feelings I had for him could never compare to how I felt for Wyatt, even after all this time apart. And even though I had no plans of letting Wyatt back into my world, I was confident that Kevin and I didn’t have what it took to be serious about one another.

“Earth to Weezer,” Dutch said, waving his hand in front of my face. “Everything okay? You’re like a total space cadet right now.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry, just lost in thought, I guess.”

“I know this is a big decision,” Dutch said, turning to face the movies. At first, I had assumed he was teasing me, but the sincere expression on his face told me he was serious. Dead serious.

It seemed all my coworkers took their movies very seriously.

“I change mine every week,” Dutch said, grabbing a movie from his shelf. “But sometimes, I let certain ones stick around for the long haul. Like this one, for example, this one’s a classic. But I’d be willing to part with it if you want it for your big picks debut.”

“The Sure Thing?” I asked, looking at the box. “I’ve never heard of it.” The guy on it looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him.

“Dude. This is John Cusack at his finest. He’s got this rant about how if this girl doesn’t help him in English class, he’ll, like, flunk out of school and end up being a drug mule. It’s hilarious.”

“Sounds…interesting,” I said, taking the display box from his hand and flipping it over. “He goes across the country to get laid?”

Dutch waggled his eyebrows, bit down on his lower lip, and nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

“Oh, Lord,” I said, shaking my head and looking at the choices of my fellow coworkers. Comedy, drama, and even Disney movies lined each of their shelves. Some were nostalgic, while others stuck with the new releases. There was no rhyme or reason to choosing these movies; I just had to go with my gut.

“Dutch,” I said, staring at the empty shelf. “Help.”

“Quick. Comedy or Drama?”

“Neither. Dramedy.” I shrugged. “I need depth to my comedy. Or levity in my drama, you know what I mean. A little bit of both.”

“Hmmm…okay, be right back!” Dutch ran across the room, looking ridiculous as his torn corduroys trailed an inch behind him as they dragged on the carpet. He stood in front of the comedy section, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Oh, man, what to pick? What to pick?”

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